Robservations: Plenty at stake for Jake Dolegala in Roughriders’ pre-season opener
Jake Dolegala is part of a non-combative arms race with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The 6-foot-7 quarterback is competing with Mason Fine and Shea Patterson for the No. 2 job, behind Trevor Harris.
The competition is extremely close — as are the four quarterbacks, who get along famously.
“It’s a fantastic crew,” said Dolegala, who is expected to start on Saturday when the Roughriders oppose the B.C. Lions in CFL pre-season action (5 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
“I think everybody has shown flashes in camp. That’s why I’m so excited for us all to get out there (on Saturday).”
Head Coach Craig Dickenson said the team will strive to give Dolegala, Fine and Patterson comparable playing time.
Harris, a CFLer since 2012, will not dress for the looming game. That was the Roughriders’ blueprint even before the marquee signal-caller headed home to Ohio for the birth of his third child — Tripp Joseph Harris, who arrived Thursday.
Leading up to Saturday’s game, Dolegala was asked whether the soon-to-be-37-year-old Harris had dispensed any sage advice to the team’s other three passers.
“Nothing, really,” Dolegala responded with a grin. “He knows that we’ve been here before. We’ve all played football before.
“He’s a little preoccupied right now. The kid just made his debut, so congrats to him and congrats to his family.
“He’ll be watching, I’m sure, and rooting us on as much as he can.”
Dolegala is poised to make his second appearance behind centre from the outset of a CFL game. He received one start as a first-year Roughrider — on July 24 against the visiting Toronto Argonauts.
“I’m excited for all of us in the QB room to get out there and go up against somebody other than our own defence, because it can get monotonous out here,” Dolegala said at Griffiths Stadium during Coors Light Riders Training Camp.
“I’m just looking forward to getting out there, getting those first butterflies out of the system, and really settling into the game.”
MAKING HIS MARK
For 20-plus years, I watched Roughriders home games at historic Mosaic Stadium in the esteemed company of Dr. Mark Anderson.
We sat in Section 204, Row 14, Seats 22 and 23. I insisted on occupying Seat 23 because that was Ron Lancaster’s number.
My great friend Mark went on to occupy the principal’s chair at Luther College High School, with which he has been associated since being hired as an English teacher in 1987.
A retirement celebration is being held for Mark this afternoon at Luther. All the accolades will be richly deserved, as much as Mark will modestly wonder why everyone is making such a fuss.
An entire book would be required to fully document everything Mark and his wonderful wife, Roxanne, have done for me — and for so many other people.
Congratulations as well to Mark and Roxanne on their 40th wedding anniversary, which was celebrated last weekend.
May the next 40 years be as enjoyable.
SHORT SNORTS
- Roughriders defensive halfback Amari Henderson enjoyed an eventful Week 2 at training camp. He made an impressive diving interception on Tuesday and two days later added a pick-six.
- Rare is the practice in which Regina-born Mitch Picton does not make at least one impressive catch.
- Without much fanfare, rookie linebacker Kolby Harvell-Peel has enjoyed a strong camp. Ditto for defensive back Deontai Williams and receiver Keith Corbin III.
- A cool stat, pertaining to Corbin III: While playing at the University of Houston in 2018, he scored on one-quarter of his receptions. Forty catches, 10 touchdowns.
MORE QUIRKY FOOTBALL STATS!
- Nobody will ever top Frank Leibel of the New York Giants, who scored a touchdown on 10 of his 22 receptions during the 1945 NFL season.
- I will always love the receiving stats of Dale West with the 1963 Roughriders: Five catches, 174 yards, three touchdowns. Average yards per catch: 34.8! Also in 1963, West caught 10 passes while playing defence, establishing a Roughriders single-season interceptions record that endured until Terry Irvin picked off 11 passes in 1984.
- On Oct. 26, 1959, fullback Ferd Burket established an as-yet-unsurpassed Roughriders record for touchdowns in a game (five). But he had only one touchdown to show for the other eight games he played for the Green and White in 1959.
- Perhaps the quirkiest football stat of all-time: On Dec. 10, 1972 against the Los Angeles Rams, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Bobby Moore (later known as Ahmad Rashad) made a 98-yard reception on a 100-yard field and — get this! — did not score. The play stretched from one one-yard line to the other.
- OK, one more: The Roughriders’ Fran McDermott had a 107-yard punt return on Oct. 11, 1982 and, in keeping with this tangential theme, did not score. McDermott, who fielded the ball two yards deep in his end zone, was eventually tackled on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ five-yard line.
- I lied. One more: On Aug. 17, 1977, the Roughriders’ Paul Williams took off on a 99-yard, non-scoring playagainst Toronto. Oddly enough, Williams’punt return to the Argonauts’ eight-yard line set up an 18-yard touchdown. Why the 10-yard difference? After the Roughriders were flagged for holding, Lancaster found Moody Jackson in the end zone for an 18-yard major. The Roughriders went on to win, 27-26, on the strength of a 29-yard touchdown reception by Steve Mazurak with 1:04 left in the fourth quarter. Toronto had led 25-13 before Lancaster led one of his patented fourth-quarter comebacks. One more reason to appreciate Seat 23!
ROLL CREDITS …
- Nice people who deserve a plug: Tripp Joseph Harris, Judy O’Day, Dr. Mark Anderson, Roxanne Anderson, Eric Anderson, Paul Anderson, Cheryl Wrishko, Kerry Wrishko, Bob Rittinger, Arlene Mongovius, Patrick Mongovius, Brian Lazorko, John Hall, Chase Pelletier, Gordon Gilroy, Derel Walker, Anthony Lanier II, Wayne Sakires, Randy Satterfield, Mike Gartner, Tom Saretsky, Terry Ennis, Toni Ennis, Mark Ennis, Adam Ennis, Michelle Houlden, Bruce Houlden, Joel Lipinski, James Shewaga, Jamal Murray, Nikola Jokic, Jan Hyde and, with profuse thanks, the all-star people at the University of Saskatchewan — home of the Roughriders’ training camp.
